Removable Breathable Covers for Beverage Containers

ABSTRACT

Covers for containers and specifically, beverage containers are disclosed herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, a cover has a breathable membrane and a peripheral rim. The membrane is substantially planar in shape and has a length and width to substantially cover a top opening of a beverage container. A plurality of orifices extend through a top surface toward and through a bottom surface of the breathable membrane, and are sized and shaped to allow air to pass therethrough, but are sufficiently small to prevent external contaminants such as leaves and insects, for example, from passing through the membrane. The peripheral rim is sized and shaped to receive an upper portion of a rim of the container, and be releasably attached thereto. Thus, the cover provides means for enjoying beverages such as wines requiring breathing prior to consummation, carbonated drinks, and other beverage, in the outdoors.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention generally relates to container covers. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to consumer beveragecontainer covers.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Many types of consumer beverage containers have been used in a varietyof settings, and some containers have been used outdoors, whetheradapted for outdoors or not. But outdoor environments, and indeed someindoor environments, where beverages are consumed, have certaincharacteristics that make it desirable to utilize a beverage containercover. Falling leaves and/or other debris, insects, and other types ofcontainments can easily enter an open beverage container. In some indoorenvironments such as dimly lit night-clubs, dangerous substances caneasily be disposed in a beverage by criminals, for example. Somebeverages also have certain characteristics that make it desirable toleave a beverage container open to allow the beverage to breathe oroff-gas. Wines, for example, should be allowed to breath, and carbonateddrinks must be at least somewhat open to the atmosphere to allowcarbonization to dissipate. It is desirable, then, to have beveragecontainer covers that can protect against external contaminants whileallowing beverages to breath and/or off-gas.

Container covers capable of covering containers of various shapes andsizes have been in use for many years. One class of covers includesflexible and/or stretchable covers constructed of plastic sheeting orfilms, e.g., polyethylene. The film can be disposed over a top openingof the container employing surface tension or elastic bands to securethe film to exterior sides of the container. An advantage of film typecovers is the ability to seal the contents of the container, e.g., aconsumer beverage, from leaking or from unwanted detriment from enteringthe container.

Yet film covers can be time consuming to remove and are rarelyre-usable. Further, many film-type covers typically do not adhere toStyrofoam or other types of common containers. They do not allow forbreathability of liquids, such as would be desirable for wine and/orcarbonated beverages, and may not have the strength to protect againstexternal contaminants.

There is a need for reusable, yet disposable, and preferably inexpensivecontainer covers for use with beverage containers in outdoor and someindoor areas. There is a need for covers that are sufficiently sturdy towithstand mild or even moderate wind. And for covers that can provide aconsumer a remedy against criminals placing illegal (or even legal)substances into an unsuspecting consumer's drink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Those and other objects are provided by the present invention thatprovides, according to one aspect, a cover for a beverage container. Thecover can have a membrane having a shape and size as to be disposed overa top opening of a container. The membrane is substantially planarhaving a width and length to substantially cover the top opening of thecontainer when disposed thereon. It can be adapted to allow air to flowtherethrough, via for example, a plurality of orifices disposed throughthe membrane extending from a top surface through a bottom surface ofthe membrane. The orifices can be sized to allow air to flow through themembrane, and simultaneously, to prevent external contaminants such asleaves and insects from passing through the membrane.

The cover can have one or more peripheral rims disposed along the bottomside of the membrane, each sized and shaped to releasably seal along asurface of the container. The peripheral rim can be constructed of aelastic material creating the seal, and thus, a surface of theperipheral rim will contact with and releasably seal to a surface of thecontainer, generally near the top opening of the container.

A display area can be disposed along the top surface of the membrane.Alternatively or in combination therewith, the orifices can be arrangedto create a pattern such as an insignia, message, trademark or the like.In any event, the display area can provide advertisement, artisticenjoyment, a message, or other design. It can be removable to bereplaced with alternate messages, for example, to describe the beveragein the container.

The invention can provide, according to a further aspect, methods forusing a cover for a beverage container. A consumer or other person canobtain a beverage container, the container having a top-opening thoughwhich the beverage can be consumed. A beverage can be disposed in thecontainer, whereupon the cover can be disposed over the top-opening ofthe container. A pressure in a downward direction can be applied to thecover, causing one or more peripheral rims to releasably seal along oneor more surfaces of the container. The container can be transported to alocation, such as a place of outdoor dining or a nightclub. There, thecover can be removed by applying a pressure in an upward direction tothe cover. The pressure can be applied using one or both hands. Aportion or the beverage can be consumed, and the cover can be re-sealedas described above.

The covers and methods disclosed herein can have a wide variety ofapplications, including not only consumable beverages, but any liquid orsubstances that can be transported in a container and used in a locationsusceptible to external contaminants such as leaves, insects and thelike.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription accompanied with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a beverage container cover having aperipheral rim, a breathable membrane and a decorative display;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cover such as the one illustratedin FIG. 1, and has a plurality of peripheral rims sized and shaped toaccommodate beverage containers of various sizes;

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a beverage container having anon-contiguous peripheral rim; and

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a beverage container cover having orificesdisposed in a display pattern.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The invention provides, in one embodiment, a cover for beveragecontainers such as drinking glasses including wine glasses, soda glassesor any other container capable of having liquid disposed therein(hereinafter, collectively “container” or “containers”). The cover canbe constructed of a planar-shaped structure sized and shaped to bedisposed upon the glass, preferably substantially covering a top openingin the container. The cover can be breathable to allow air to flow intoand out of the container, and at the same time, adapted to preventexternal contaminants such as leaves and insects from entering therein.One or more peripheral rims can be disposed along a bottom side of thecover, the rim sized and shaped to receive a rim of the containerdefining the top opening of the container, and releasably sealing to oneor more surfaces near the top opening of that container, e.g., aninterior surface, exterior surface or both surfaces. A display area canbe secured, temporarily or permanently, to a top surface of the cover,or alternatively, can be incorporated into the cover using a widevariety of means. Preferably such covers are suited for outdoor diningwhere beverages can be allowed to breathe or off-gas (such as wines orcarbonated beverages), and also be protected from external contaminantssuch as leaves and insects.

Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that coverssuch as those disclosed herein can be suited for outdoor dining, and canalso be used in other environments where beverages are consumed andwhere at least some protection from external contaminants is desired.Preferably, the covers can be light-weight yet somewhat resistant tomovement by light winds and/or normal walking with the beveragecontainer. They are preferably inexpensive to manufacture, and can bere-usable yet disposable. They can have a wide variety of shapes andsizes, including artistic type designs and lettering and/or identifyinglogos imprinted and/or fastened thereto.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a cover 100 according to theinvention having a peripheral rim 102, a breathable structure ormembrane 104, and a decorative display area 106. The peripheral rim 102can be substantially rigid thereby maintaining the breathable membrane104 in a planar shape, and at the same time, adding rigidity to thestructure allowing it to be disposed atop and substantially covering atop opening of the container such as a drinking glass, wine glass andthe like. In one embodiment the peripheral rim can be constructed of anelastic material that can releasably seal to a surface. Decorativedisplay 106 can be included and can be of a wide variety of designs,shapes and sizes; indeed, it can be virtually any type of design withdecorations, lettering, and the like; in one embodiment it can beincorporated into the membrane, and in another embodiments, it can bereleasably secured and/or replaceable.

Peripheral rim 102 can have a variety of shapes and sizes, butpreferably is adapted to provide rigidity to the cover 100 when membrane104 is of non-rigid construction, as well as provide means forreleasably securing the membrane 104 to the beverage container.Peripheral rim 102 can be rounded, square, oval or virtually any othershape or combination thereof. Peripheral rim 102 can have virtually anycolor or design applied thereto, or incorporated within the membrane104, and can have such color or design for providing functional use suchas identifying the type of beverage, or it can be purely aesthetic innature, or any combination thereof. Illustrated, peripheral rim 102completely surrounds membrane 104, however, in other embodiments it canbe of a non-contiguous design, piece-wise contiguous, and even absent inembodiments where breathable membrane 104 requires no support structureto maintain a planar position atop a drinking glass and can releasablybe secured to a container without use of such peripheral rim.

Breathable membrane 104 can be substantially planar and can have a widevariety of shapes and sizes. Illustrated, breathable membrane 104 isshown as substantially oval in shape, but it can be square, round,triangular or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, membrane 104has a substantially planar bottom surface while have a three-dimensionaltop surface. Of course, the size and shape of the breathable membrane104 should correspond to the size and shape of the top opening of thecontainer, that is, it is larger than the top opening of the container.Thus, breathable membrane 104 is illustrated as having a width w and alength l, and preferably, membrane 104 can be used with a beveragecontainer having a top opening with a width and length that is less thanthose of the membrane 104. In any event, breathable membrane 104 ispreferably sized and shaped to substantially cover a top opening in thebeverage container, thereby restricting external contaminants fromentering into the drinking glass.

Breathable membrane 104 can be constructed of a wide variety ofmaterials, and preferably, has a breathable characteristic to freelyallow air to pass bi-directionally through the membrane into and out ofthe beverage container. Illustrated, breathable membrane 104 has anumber of orifices (FIG. 2) disposed therein, each orifice extendingthrough a top surface in a direction toward and through the a bottomsurface of the membrane 104 allowing air to flow therethrough butpreventing external contaminants such as leaves and insects from passingtherethrough. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the orificescan be sized sufficiently large to allow air and other gases to flowtherethrough, but sized sufficiently small to restrict contaminants fromentering the beverage container. In one embodiment, breathable membrane104 can be a perforated film such as a polyethylene, however, it canalso be a rigid structure constructed of nylon strands, for example, ormay be a woven design constructed of wood, rattan, wicker or the like.It can be made of rubber or metal or both. Care should be taken toensure that the membrane 104 is suitable for contact with consumableproducts, as it is likely that the beverage may come into contact withthe breathable membrane 104, especially in embodiments where themembrane is painted, varnished, colored or otherwise decorated and/orpreserved. Thus, only consumer approved materials, coatings, paints, dyeand the like should be used, as non-approved materials can be hazardousto consumers.

Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that althoughthe term “membrane” is used herein, it can refer to virtually anybreathable material such as woven woods, plastics, metals, rubber,rattan and the like, and can include thin-films such as plastic wraps,sheets, and fabrics. Preferably, as described above, membrane 104 shouldbe breathable, non-toxic, and compatible with the beverage within thecontainer. It can be washable and durable, or it can be intended for asingle-use and then disposed.

Decorative display 106 can be of virtually any shape and size, and havevirtually any color and design. Illustrated, decorative display 106 is aplate or plaque that is affixed or otherwise secured to the top surfaceof breathable membrane 104. In one embodiment, however, decorativedisplay 106 is incorporated into or onto breathable membrane 104, orindeed, need not be present at all. Decorative display 106 can bedesigned using the orifices disposed in membrane 104, and such isillustrated in FIG. 4 as will be seen and understood. Preferably,decorative display 106 is sized having smaller dimensions thanbreathable membrane 104 so as to not substantially interfere or restrictthe ability of air to flow through membrane 104 into and out-of thebeverage container.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a cover 200, andis illustrated as disposed on a beverage container 206, shown forillustrative purposes as a wine glass having an amount of liquid 208therein. The cover 200 has a peripheral rim 202 disposed along a bottomside 212 of a substantially planar breathable membrane 204 having aheight h. Orifices such as orifice 210 are disposed within thebreathable membrane 204 allowing air to pass bi-directionally into andout-of the container 206.

A first peripheral rim 202 is shown disposed on the bottom side 212 ofthe cover 200 illustrating that it is adapted to secure the cover 200over the container 206. First peripheral rim 202 extends around anexterior surface of the container 206, here illustrated circular inshape. It will be thus appreciated by those skilled in the art thatfirst peripheral rim 202 is disposed along the bottom surface of thecover 200 in a generally circular form having a diameter that isslightly less that a diameter of the external surface of the container206 where the first peripheral rim 202 contacts the container 206 inproximity to its upper opening. Thereby, first peripheral rim 202secures the breathable membrane 204 to the container 206 in an easilyremovable fashion. Of course, a peripheral rim can be sized slightlysmaller than the upper rim of the beverage container and therebyreleasably securing to an interior surface of the beverage container.

As already noted, peripheral rim 202 can be rigid or pliableincorporating an elastic property depending on whether the breathablemembrane 204 is rigid or pliable. For example, in an embodiment having arigid breathable membrane 204 constructed of, for example, wood, thefirst peripheral rim 202 need not also be rigid but rather, can beconstructed of a soft elastic material such as the one illustrated inFIG. 2. Indeed, a rigid breathable membrane need not even have aperipheral rim but may rather be grooved or rabbited to receive an upperrim of the beverage container. However, in embodiments where membranesuch as 204 is constructed of a thin film, such as plastic wraps,peripheral rim is preferably constructed of a ridged materialsufficiently rigid to maintain the shape and size of the membrane withdisposed atop a beverage container. Thus, design consideration should begiven to the materials so that a peripheral rim is selected in accordwith the breathable membrane, and visa a versa, and such will beappreciated by those skilled in the art. Further, a peripheral rim canbe constructed of multiple materials and/or composites that provide arigid structure for supporting the membrane, and have an elasticmaterial coupled thereto or incorporated therewith that is adapted toreleasable seal to a portion of the container.

A cover such as the one illustrated in FIG. 2 can have multipleperipheral rims 202, 214, 216, each having a differing diameter orindeed, a differing shape corresponding to a beverage container having acorresponding size and shape. For example, a peripheral rim may be oval,square or otherwise shaped to receive a beverage container ofapproximately the same shape. Advantageously, such an arrangement allowsa single cover 200 to be used with multiple beverage containers ofvarying size and/or shape increasing the utility of a single cover. Eachof the peripheral rims 202, 214, 216 can be spaced along the bottom side212 of the breathable membrane 204 such that the cover 200 can besecured atop commonly sized beverage containers, e.g., 206. Further, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a peripheral rimneed not be in contact with an exterior surface of the beveragecontainer, but rather, can be sized and/or adapted to contact along aninner surface of the beverage container, preferably in proximity to arim or upper edge of the container. Further still, peripheral rims 202,214, 216 need not be constructed of the same material, but instead, oneor more can be constructed of a rigid material, and one or more can beconstructed of a pliable elastic material.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a beverage container cover 300 having abreathable membrane 302 that is substantially square in shape, and aperipheral rim 304 that is non-contiguous, illustrated here as havingtwo piece-wise sections 304A, 304B, however it can have virtually anynumber of piece-wise sections. The peripheral rim 304 is attached to abottom side of the breathable membrane 302, and in general, ispermanently secured thereto, however in one embodiment, a peripheral rimcan be releasably attached and can even be resized, or replaced with adifferent shaped and sized peripheral rim via, for example, hook andloop fasteners, snaps, and the like.

Peripheral rim 304, as noted above, can be of rigid or elastic material,and is sized and shaped to substantially releasably attach along atop-opening of a beverage container, also as noted above.Advantageously, piece-wise peripheral rim segments such as thoseillustrated can serve functionally to releasably secure the cover 300 tothe beverage container, and reduce the amount of materials and hence,manufacturing costs, associated with the cover 300.

As also noted above, cover 300 can have multiple peripheral rims, all orsome can be contiguous (as in FIG. 1) or all or some can be piece-wisesections (as in FIG. 3), or any combination thereof.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a beverage container cover 400having a breathable membrane 402, a peripheral rim 404 and a pluralityof orifices 408 extending from a top surface to a bottom surface,disposed along the membrane so portray or otherwise depict a design ormessage, here illustrated as the English word, “wine”.

Breathable membrane 402 is illustrated having the shape of amulti-pointed star, although as stated above, it can have virtually anyshape and size as long as it is sized and shaped to substantially covera top opening of a beverage container.

Orifices 408 are disposed along the breathable membrane so as to createa design yet still allow air to flow therethrough. Illustrated, orifices408 spell the word, “wine,” however, they can portray virtually anymessage or word(s), and indeed, need not portray any message but rather,can be an artistic design including a trademark, restaurant name and thelike. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that designcare must be taken to size orifices 408 to allow air flow to passtherethrough, and simultaneously, ensuring that constructional integrityof the breathable membrane is not significantly reduced. Further, suchdesign can be constructed using differing color materials in themembrane, such as designs woven using differing color woods, differingmaterials and the like.

As will now be appreciated by those skilled in the art, covers such asthe ones described herein are advantageous for use in outdoor diningwhere external contaminants can and often do, absent such a cover, enterthe container and the beverage therein. Such contaminants includeleaves, insects, bugs, spiders, sand, and virtually any other vegetationor biological contaminant. Further, such covers are useful in otherlocations such as night-clubs where protection is sought againstcriminals placing illegal or unwanted substances into beverages.

Thus, in practice, methods for using the covers disclosed herein caninclude the steps of:

(i) obtaining a beverage container, the container having a top-openingthough which the beverage can be consumed. The container can be a wineglass, soda glass, or virtually any other container capable of holding abeverage and having a top-opening through which the beverage can beconsumed;

(ii) disposing a beverage in the container. The beverage can bevirtually any consumable beverage, and the covers disclosed herein areparticularly useful for beverages that are commonly allowed to breathesuch as wines, and also those beverages that may require off-gassingsuch as carbonated drinks and/or hot steaming drinks such as coffeesand/or teas. Of course, the covers are also useful with beverage thatneed not breathe such as bottled waters and the like.

(iii) disposing a cover over the top-opening, the cover having abreathable membrane and a peripheral rim, the peripheral rim disposedalong a bottom-side of the membrane and having a size and shape slightlylarger or slightly smaller than a size and shape of the top-opening ofthe beverage container. In embodiments where there are multipleperipheral rims disposed along the bottom side of the membrane, thisstep also includes selecting one of the peripheral rims, and disposingit over the top-opening of the beverage container.

(iv) applying a downward pressure to the cover, the pressure causing asurface of the peripheral rim to releasably seal along a surface of thebeverage container. The sealing releasably attaches the cover to thebeverage container, and is sufficiently strong to withstand ordinarywalking and moderate winds such as those not exceeding 10 miles perhour. Thus, external contaminants as described herein and others, areprevented from entering the beverage container, and advantageously, thebeverage within the beverage container can breathe, release gases suchas carbonation, and the like.

(v) optionally transporting the beverage container with the coverdisposed thereon and releasably sealed thereon to a location. Thelocation can be an outdoor dining area, a back-yard, or virtually anyplace the beverage can be consumed whether inside or outdoor, andincluding locations such as nightclubs.

(vi) removing the cover from the beverage container and consuming atleast a portion of the beverage. Preferably, the cover can be removedusing a single hand, and as such, by applying a pressure to the cover inan upward direction, the cover is easily removed from the beveragecontainer. It can be disposed on a table, for example, or held in asingle hand. The beverage can be consumed, observed and/or tasted.

(vii) repeating steps (iii) through (vi) above until the beverage iseither consumed or disgarded.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodimentsillustrated herein are but examples, and accordingly, the invention isnot to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described,except as indicated by the appended claims.

1. A cover for a container, the cover comprising: a membrane having ashape and size as to be disposed over a top opening of a container, themembrane substantially planar having width and length to substantiallycover the top opening of the container when disposed thereon, themembrane adapted to allow air to flow therethrough but restrict externalcontaminants from passing therethrough; and a peripheral rim disposedalong a bottom side of the membrane, the peripheral rim sized and shapedto releasably secure the membrane to the container.
 2. The cover ofclaim 1, wherein the membrane further comprises a one or more orificesdisposed in the membrane and extending through a top-surface to thebottom-surface, the orifices allowing air to flow between thetop-surface and the bottom-surface.
 3. The cover of claim 2, wherein theorifices are grouped to create a design.
 4. The cover of claim 1,wherein the membrane is manufactured of any of the group consisting ofplastic, wood, rattan, rubber and metal.
 5. The cover of claim 4,wherein the membrane is comprised of woven-wood weave, the weave adaptedto allow air to flow bi-directionally through the membrane.
 6. The coverof claim 1, wherein the peripheral rim comprises an elastic material,the peripheral rim sized and shaped to contact a surface of thecontainer and releasable secure the cover to the container.
 7. The coverof claim 6, further comprising a plurality of peripheral rims, eachperipheral rim disposed along the bottom side of the membrane and eachsized and shaped to secure the cover to a container having a size andshape corresponding to at least one of the peripheral rims.
 8. Abreathable cover for a beverage container, the cover comprising: amembrane having a shape and size as to be disposed over a top opening ofa beverage container, the membrane substantially planar having width andlength to substantially cover the top opening of the container whendisposed thereon, the membrane adapted to allow air to flowtherethrough; a peripheral rim disposed along a bottom side of themembrane, the peripheral rim sized and shaped to releasably secure themembrane to the container; and a design area disposed the top side ofthe membrane, the design area having a design thereon.
 9. The cover ofclaim 8, further comprising orifices disposed in the membrane, theorifices extending from the top side to the bottom side of the membraneand sized to allow air to flow therethrough.
 10. The cover of claim 9,wherein the orifices are disposed in the design area and arranged toportray the design thereon.
 11. The cover of claim 10, where the designis any of the group consisting of insignias, words, messages andtrademarks.
 12. The cover of claim 9, wherein the orifices are sized tosubstantially prevent contaminants from passing through the membrane.13. The cover of claim 12, wherein contaminants are any of the groupconsisting of leaves, insects, and unwanted biological agents in theform of pills and tablets.
 14. A method for using a breathable cover fora beverage container, the method comprising the steps of: (i) obtaininga beverage container, the container having a top-opening though whichthe beverage can be consumed; (ii) disposing a beverage in thecontainer; (iii) disposing a cover over the top-opening, the coverhaving a breathable membrane and a peripheral rim, the peripheral rimdisposed along a bottom-side of the membrane and having a size and shapeto releasably seal along a surface of the container in proximity to thetop opening; (iv) applying a downward pressure to the cover, thepressure causing a surface of the peripheral rim to releasably sealalong a surface of the beverage container; (v) applying an upwardpressure to the cover, the pressure causing the cover to release fromthe container; (vi) consuming a portion of the beverage; (vii) repeatingsteps (iii) through (vi) until the beverage is consumed or discarded.15. The method of claim 14, wherein step (iv) of applying a downwardpressure to the cover further comprises: maintaining the seal therebypreventing outside contaminants from entering the beverage container.16. The method of claim 14, wherein step (v) of removing the cover fromthe beverage container and consuming at least a portion of the beveragefurther comprises: applying a pressure in an upward direction on thebreathable membrane using a single hand, the pressure releasing the sealbetween the peripheral rim and the surface of the beverage container.